With a wealth of innovative models running smoothly each day on Australian roads, Challenger Bus and Coach has cemented itself as a major force in the local bus and coach industry.
Since exploding onto the scene in 2017, Challenger’s customer-focused approach to design and service has found incredible success with local operators yearning for its hands-on experience that not many can offer.
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This preference has led to the company experiencing its biggest year yet.
“It’s been a massive year, definitely our biggest year to date,” Challenger sales manager Dan Campbell told ABC.
“We’ve seen a heap of growth, not only in our sales, but also in our product range.”
This growth for Challenger has been off the back of its newest releases, the Challenger Callibar and Electric Low Floor bus.
While only launching mid-way through 2024, the Callibar has drawn national interest for its small but mighty build. With a successful run of its V10 and V12 models, Challenger took note of operators starting to ask for a bus of that quality but in a smaller size.
“There was a definite market there,” Campbell says.
“We spent a lot of time to bring that vision to life. The Callibar has been received extremely well, and orders keep coming in.”
While the new edition had a few months to bask in the glory alone, Challenger was quick to get back to designing, launching its first electric model just months after.
The Electric Low Floor bus was the brand’s first foray into zero emissions, understanding the changing needs of the market and offering a solution.
“Launching the 12-metre electric bus at the National Bus and Coach Show back in September was a great choice for us,” Campbell says.
“It was a fantastic way for us to grow our profile and show off our latest offerings. We certainly got a fair bit of business out of it as well, which has been great.”
As the year draws to a close, Campbell says the company has seen an uptake in repeat customers who have returned to add more Challenger models to their fleets.
“The feedback we received was that these repeat customers love the personal contact we are able to offer them,” he says.
“That’s all part of being an Australian owned company. It allows us to easily run over if there is a problem and provide quick, in-person aftersale services.”
As more of the Australian designed coaches begin to hit the road and sales see a steady increase, Challenger has also been focused on improving its aftersales care and spare parts holdings.
A large part of offering these services comes from the brand’s organic expansion across the country, which has increased significantly across the past 12 months.
Opening its first depot in Melbourne back in 2017, Challenger now has locations in Perth, Brisbane and soon to be Sydney.
“In 2024 alone, we have managed to move our Melbourne and Brisbane operations to much bigger premises,” Campbell says.
“This move enabled us to significantly expand our spare parts holdings to go with our increased range of vehicles.
“It also means that in the future, we can open up more services and be even more hands-on with our customers.”
The team is currently working on signing off on a brand-new Sydney depot that will serve as the main home for newly appointed NSW sales manager Glenn Davidson.
Bringing a wealth of knowledge to the role, Davidson is confident that the next 12 months for Challenger will see even more growth, with new products set to disrupt the industry.
What to look forward to in 2025
As the industry turns more electric by the day, Challenger has jumped onboard the movement, with a slate of electric offerings set to filter into 2025.
“We will be increasing the product range to include electric right across the board. This means all of the current products that we’ve got, the Callibar, V10 and V12, and even future models, will be made electric,” Davidson says.
“This has been a goal of ours for a while and it is finally coming to fruition. We hope to have them all launched by mid-2025.”
The team is also looking to launch a 13.5m tag axle model, catering to the bigger end of the market that Challenger hasn’t quite gotten to yet in its short history.
“I think our main focus is to become a one-stop shop for the industry, whether that be with buses, spare parts, servicing or the lot,” Campbell says.
“Our primary focus is to our existing customers, ensuring that we’re looking after them with aftersales service, parts and anything that they need.
“But as we keep growing our team, our offerings and our sales, we think we’re on our way to becoming the one-stop shop for everything that an operator would need.”
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